Suvechha Sarkar
In March 2011, a quiet neighborhood in Fresno, California, was shaken by a tragedy no one saw coming. Danetta Lashay Henry was a 37-year-old single mother who worked hard for her family. However, she was brutally shot dead in a heartbreaking culmination of an ongoing conflict. The circumstances surrounding the murder are revisited in Investigation Discovery’s ‘Fear Thy Neighbor: Sour Grapes.’ It followed the investigation of the gradual escalation of tensions between neighbors. It also features interviews with her daughter and the officials who helped serve justice.
Danetta Henry Was Shot Dead During a Heated Fight With a Neighbor
Danetta Lashay Henry arrived as a blessing in the lives of her parents on September 8, 1973. Although there isn’t much information available on her early life, we do know that she was a person who always valued hard work. At some point in her adulthood, Danetta welcomed her daughter, Dazhane, and son Dezmon into the world. According to reports, she was a single mother who worked at the hospital as a certified Nurse’s Assistant. She and her children eventually moved to Manchester Regency apartments in Fresno, California, and settled down there. Danetta was considering going back to school to give her kids a better life. However, the official reports state that problems arose when she found herself in the middle of multiple quarrels with her neighbor. It reportedly made her decide to move away with her family.
Around 11:30 am on March 2, 2011, just under a week before her planned move, Danetta was returning home with Dazhane. Unfortunately, Danetta got into an altercation with her neighbor and was shot outside her home. Dazhane and Dezmon were also shot during that time. When officials arrived at the scene, they found Danetta dead from a gunshot wound to the head. She was also shot in the chest and her arm with a 9mm handgun. Dazhane reportedly suffered two gunshot wounds in her stomach, while her brother, Dezmon, was shot once, giving him superficial injuries. As per court records, both of them were rushed to the Community Regional Medical Center, where they received treatment and thankfully survived. The autopsy revealed that Danetta had passed away from a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
The Escalation of a Neighborhood Conflict Led to Danetta’s Murder
As soon as the detectives reached the crime scene, they first questioned Dazhane and Dezmon. According to court records, they informed the police that Danetta was initially quite close to their next-door neighbor, Lora White, and her boyfriend, Alvin Henry Dalton. However, their relationship grew tense over time. Dazhane claimed that there were several times when Lora would throw food on their porch, while Lora said that she allegedly did it only once. Several neighbors reported that the fight between Lora and Danetta escalated over time. Investigative reports state that there were multiple police reports from both Lora and Danetta. These allegations were not substantiated by police searches, and Lora White was not charged with any crime in relation to the altercation.
During one of them, Danetta reportedly claimed that Lora had threatened her and Dazhane with a handgun. However, when officials reportedly searched Lora’s home, they found no evidence of wrongdoing. As per court records, despite multiple reports to the police, neither Lora nor Danetta was charged with anything due to a lack of evidence. According to Dazhane, the tension between them culminated on March 2, 2011, when Danetta was reportedly returning with her daughter, and Lora allegedly began spraying them with a strong liquid chemical. In his statements, Dezmon claimed that Lora threw boiling water at Danetta and was hitting her with the pot.
Dezmon continued that as things escalated, Alvin stopped Dezmon from breaking up the fight. He claimed that Alvin also hit Dazhane, following which Dezmon admitted to hitting Alvin. The official records state that Alvin then brought out his handgun from his car and began shooting at Danetta, Dezmon, and Dazhane. Alvin was arrested shortly after the shooting on March 2, 2011. Two days later, he was formally indicted on the charges of one count of murder of Danetta and two counts of attempted murder of her teenage daughter and son. During his questioning, he claimed that he shot at the family in self-defense since they allegedly attacked him. Court records state that he also claimed that Danetta and her children had previously vandalized his car and patio.
Alvin Dalton is Incarcerated at a California State Prison Facility Today
The first jury trial of Alvin Dalton had ended in a mistrial. The case then reportedly proceeded to a second jury trial, which commenced in August 2011. During that time, the prosecution presented testimonies from multiple witnesses and physical evidence before the court. They further argued that Alvin had intentionally shot at Danetta, which killed her, and also dangerously harmed Dazhane and Dezmon. On the other hand, the defense claimed that Alvin and Lora had to endure “constant terrorism” from Danetta. They alleged that Danetta and her children were kicking him when he claimed he feared for his life. The defense claimed that Alvin then shot at them in self-defense.
In August 2011, the jury ultimately found him guilty of one count of second-degree murder and two counts of unpremeditated attempted murder. He was sentenced to an aggregate term of 83 years to life in prison in September 2011. Following that, he appealed the conviction, which challenged multiple trial rulings, particularly evidentiary decisions and jury instruction issues. However, the California Court of Appeals affirmed his convictions on January 30, 2014. Eventually, Alvin sought direct review in the California Supreme Court after the Appellate Court’s decision. However, the Supreme Court denied direct review.
After the denial, Alvin filed multiple habeas petitions in Fresno County Superior Court, which were all denied, with two of them being on September 2, 2014, and another on November 18, 2014. He filed two additional habeas petitions in the California Appellate Court and the California Supreme Court, but both were denied without prejudice on February 5, 2015, and May 13, 2015, respectively. Despite filing another federal habeas corpus writ petition on June 8, 2015, the judge reportedly recommended denying it. As of writing, Alvin is serving his sentence at San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California. The tentative date for his next parole suitability hearing is set for September 2031.
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